The Whole30 diet was first launched in 2009. It focuses on eating whole foods for thirty days. However, there are some rules. Individuals should consume a variety of foods, including fats, seafood, meat, eggs, fruits, and vegetables. They should also include a significant amount of herbs and spices. The Whole30 diet means avoiding consuming added sugars, alcohol, grains, most legumes, dairy products, junk food, and anything with artificial preservatives.
There are some Whole30 frozen foods and Whole30 approved packaged foods in many grocery stores. These foods make it easier for individuals to begin following this diet. Using Whole30 cookbooks and designing a Whole30 meal plan can also be helpful. Of course, the focus of this diet is on cooking most meals and avoiding packaged foods. Thankfully, there are some good recipes for the Whole30 diet out there.
Homemade Burger Patties
Fast food is one of the major food categories that individuals should avoid when they are following the Whole30 diet. However, there are ways for individuals to get the food that they crave without the added sugars and preservatives. An example of this is the traditional burger. While it is not allowed on the Whole30 diet, individuals can create homemade burger patties. A great burger patty recipe for this diet that is full of flavor includes eight ounces of diced cremini mushrooms, two minced cloves of garlic, one tablespoon of olive oil, and one pound of grass-fed ground beef. Individuals can use pepper and sea salt to taste.
Individuals should start by heating olive oil in a saucepan. Once heated, they can cook the diced mushroom until they are soft and golden. They need to add the garlic near the end of this cooking process. Individuals should let this mixture cool for five minutes before putting it in a bowl with the ground beef. This is when they can add some salt and pepper. After the mixture is combined, individuals can form four burger patties and grill them until they are cooked according to their taste. These patties are also able to be cooked in a pan. The final step is dressing the patties using organic sauce and other appropriate toppings for the Whole30 diet.
Vegetarian Frittata
Individuals can make a delicious vegetarian frittata using the guidelines from the Whole30 diet. Preparation takes fifteen minutes, and cooking takes another twenty. Individuals will need to dice two bell peppers. This should be one green pepper and one red pepper. Then, they should chop half a small onion and dice a clove of garlic. Of course, individuals need to crack and beat ten eggs. Individuals will also need two cups of roughly chopped spinach, two tablespoons of olive oil, a quarter cup of sundried tomatoes. They can also add some salt and pepper to taste.
Individuals should preheat their oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. They should heat olive oil in a skillet on medium heat. Once heated, they should add the onion and bell peppers and cook them until they are soft. This should take approximately seven minutes. Once this is done, individuals should add the tomatoes, garlic, and spinach. They need to cook this until the spinach is slightly wilted, but still vibrant. At this point, individuals can pour the mixture into an oven-safe dish with the eggs, pepper, and salt. They should ensure that the mixture is evenly distributed. Once it is, they can put the dish in the oven for fourteen minutes. Individuals can let it cool for a few minutes, slice, and serve. Leftovers can be refrigerated in airtight storage for a maximum of a week after cooking.
Grilled Fish And Salsa
Another decent recipe for the Whole30 diet is grilled fish and salsa. This is fairly simple for individuals to make at home and is quite healthy. Individuals who are not fond of seafood may want to use white fish, as some reports indicate that it tastes similar to chicken. Fish contains many vitamins and minerals, including omega-3 fatty acids. Overall, this Whole30 recipe takes approximately twenty minutes to prepare and ten minutes to cook. Individuals should start with a fillet of cod or halibut. They can add additional fillets when they are making more portions. The salsa includes a quarter cups of diced bell pepper, two finely diced tomatoes, a quarter cup of cilantro, one minced clove of garlic, a sliced green onion, two tablespoons of lime juice, and some lime zest.
Once their ingredients are ready, individuals need to combine the ingredients in a bowl and refrigerate it until they need it. Individuals can use some paprika, oregano, and chili powder to season their fish while it is grilling. They should add these spices to taste. However, an eighth of a teaspoon of each spice per fillet is a decent place to start. Once the fish is grilled, individuals can top their fillet with some of the salsa and serve.
Spaghetti Squash with Meat Sauce
Individuals who want to follow the Whole30 diet can still enjoy a dish that is fairly similar to traditional pasta. Instead of pasta, however, they should use spaghetti squash. The first part of this recipe is to roast the squash. Individuals should start by cutting it lengthwise and removing all of the strings and seeds. They can then drizzle each side with avocado oil and sprinkle on some salt and pepper. Individuals need to place each half facedown on a baking sheet. The spaghetti squash will take approximately twenty to thirty minutes to roast at four hundred degrees Fahrenheit. If individuals want to do this in advance, they can put the cooked squash in a plastic container in their refrigerator.
The necessary ingredients for the meat sauce are one finely chopped carrot, one finely chopped stalk of celery, one pound of ground beef, and a few strips of crumbled bacon. Individuals also need two cups of marinara sauce, a handful of fresh basil, and a small amount of coconut milk. Individuals should heat a small amount of avocado oil in a large skillet on medium heat. They should add the celery and carrots with some chopped bacon and cook it for a few minutes. They can then add the ground beef and seasoning and cook until it is brown. Once the meat is brown, individuals can add the marinara sauce and other remaining ingredients and simmer.
Roasted Chicken And Potatoes
Individuals on the Whole30 diet can still consume a classic dish of roasted chicken and potatoes. This is the simplest recipe on the list, and it is packed with delicious nutrients. It may only take a handful of ingredients. Individuals can start by preheating their oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Then, they can gather two pounds of chicken breast, four diced red potatoes, four sliced cloves of garlic, two tablespoons of chopped rosemary, and two tablespoons of olive oil. They will also need some salt and pepper. Individuals should put all the ingredients in a bowl and toss them to coat.
Then, they can place the chicken and potatoes on a baking sheet. They will take approximately thirty minutes in the oven to roast. At this point, individuals should take out the chicken and let it rest. While this is happening, they should turn up the oven's temperature or broil the potatoes for approximately five minutes. This should make the potatoes crispy.


Abstract
We construct a new mesoscopic model for granular media using Dynamical Density Functional Theory (DDFT). The model includes both a collision operator to incorporate inelasticity and the Helmholtz free energy functional to account for external potentials, interparticle interactions and volume exclusion. We use statistical data from event-driven microscopic simulations to determine the parameters not given analytically by the closure relations used to derive the DDFT. We numerically demonstrate the crucial effects of each term and approximations in the DDFT, and the importance of including an accurately parametrised pair correlation function.
Keywords Dynamical Density Functional Theory Granular media ASJC Scopus subject areas Statistical and Nonlinear Physics Mathematical Physics


Documenting variation in our genomes is important for research and clinical care. Accuracy in the description of DNA variants is therefore essential. To address this issue, the Human Variome Project convened a committee to evaluate the feasibility of requiring authors to verify that all variants submitted for publication complied with a widely accepted standard for description. After a pilot study of two journals, the committee agreed that requiring authors to verify that variants complied with Human Genome Variation Society nomenclature is a reasonable step toward standardizing the worldwide inventory of human variation.


The Costa Rica News (TCRN) – According to a survey released today in San Jose, most Costa Rican businesses are
confident that during the last quarter of 2013, employment will remain stable and they will experience an increase in sales.
The study by the Institute for Research in Economics (ICSI) at the state University of Costa Rica, indicates that 65% of respondents believe that
employment will remain stable, 24% thought it would increase and 11% believe it will decrease.
The researcher ICSI, Gabriela Gonzalez, stated in a press conference that higher employment growth is expected in the sectors of construction, agriculture and trade, due to “seasonal factors” like seasonal crops and the holidays.
The survey also revealed that 55% of respondents anticipate that their sales will increase in the fourth quarter of 2013, 29% think it will be stable and 14% believe it will decrease (2% did not respond).
The survey was administered to 491 employers between August 26
th and September 11 th. (EFE)
The Costa Rica News (TCRN)
San Jose Costa Rica


Niles
et al. (2013) Randomized Controlled Trial of Expressive Writing for Psychological and Physical Health: the Moderating Role of Emotional Expressivity literature type:journal article reference:Andrea Niles, Kate Haltom, Catherine Mulvenna, Matthew Lieberman, and Annette Stantont. Anxiety, Stress, & Coping. 2013. description:The current study assessed main effects and moderators (including emotional
expressiveness, emotional processing, and ambivalence over emotional expres-
sion) of the effects of expressive writing in a sample of healthy adults. Young adult participants (N=116) were randomly assigned to write for 20 minutes on four occasions about deepest thoughts and feelings regarding their most stressful/ traumatic event in the past five years (expressive writing) or about a control topic (control). Dependent variables were indicators of anxiety, depression, and physical symptoms. No significant effects of writing condition were evident on anxiety, depressive symptoms, or physical symptoms. Emotional expressiveness emerged as a significant moderator of anxiety outcomes, however. Within the expressive writing group, participants high in expressiveness evidenced a significant reduction in anxiety at three-month follow-up, and participants low in expressiveness showed a significant increase in anxiety. Expressiveness did not predict change in anxiety in the control group. These findings on anxiety are consistent with the matching hypothesis, which suggests that matching a person’s naturally elected coping approach with an assigned intervention is beneficial. These findings also suggest that expressive writing about a stressful event may be contraindicated for individuals who do not typically express emotions.
website:http://www.scn.ucla.edu/pdf/Niles%282013%29AnxietyStressCoping.pdf
arts categories:writing population(s) served:adults


1. No Poverty 2. Zero Hunger 3. Good Health and Well-Being 4. Quality Education 5. Gender Equality 6. Clean Water and Sanitation 7. Affordable and Clean Energy 8. Decent Work and Economic Growth 9. Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure 10. Reduced Inequalities 11. Sustainable Cities and Communities 12. Responsible Consumption and Production 13. Climate Action 14. Life Below Water 15. Life on Land 16. Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions 17. Partnerships for the Goals Expert Opinions & Stories Partnering with persons with disabilities toward an inclusive, accessible and sustainable post-COVID-19 world
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Cambodia’s recent development story has much in common with the broader region. Phenomenal growth has changed its economy and society beyond recognition. Yet as in the rest of Asia and the Pacific,…
This is a joint op-ed by Armida S. Alisjahbana, Executive Secretary, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific; Bambang Susantono, Vice President, Knowledge Management,…


One of the most important estate planning decisions you can make is to appoint a guardian for your minor children. Failure to do so could leave your children in legal limbo for some time following your death.
Appointing a guardian for your children should be a priority, but it is a decision that deserves some careful consideration. Here are some things you need to know before appointing a guardian for your children.
The law makes no assumptions
You may think that a godparent or a close family member will become your children’s guardian by default. This is not necessarily the case. The court will deliberate and make its decision based on what it believes to be the children’s interest. If you have a specific person in mind as a guardian, it is essential that you make your wishes known, especially if the person you choose is not a family member.
You do not have to wait until the child’s birth
You can appoint a guardian for your unborn child while still pregnant. It might be a good idea to take advantage of this during the quiet period before your life becomes chaotic with the baby’s birth.
There are two types of guardians
When you hear the word “guardian,” you may think primarily of a guardian of the person, who is the individual who shelters your children and takes care of their daily needs. However, there is also a guardian of the estate, who handles finances on your children’s behalf. It is simpler, though not required, to appoint the same person to both roles.
You may need backups
The person you choose to be the primary guardian of your children may be unable or unwilling to serve in the event of your death. Therefore, you should think about appointing secondary guardians as contingencies to ensure someone is available to care for your children no matter what.
It is also a good idea to discuss guardianship with the person you want to appoint before naming him or her in your will.


Every human being has a right to secure, safe and comfortable accommodation. However, not everyone can afford to own a home. As a result, most people live in rented properties.
Both federal and California laws protect tenants from unfair actions (like race, gender, or religion-based discrimination) from their landlords. Thus, if your landlord discriminates against you on any basis, you need to seek justice and the resulting damages.
Here are warning signs that your landlord (or potential landlord) could be discriminating against you.
Your landlord is asking probing questions
While every landlord has a right to know the individual they are renting their property to, certain questions can be improperly used to block you from renting the property in question. Some of the discriminating questions a landlord can ask while interrogating a potential tenant include:
Are you planning to have more children?
This question can come in a number of forms. Perhaps, the landlord has concerns about additional children on the property, or they are concerned that maternity leave could impact your finance and hinder your ability to pay rent. Reason notwithstanding, your family situation should never impact your candidacy for the rental property.
What is your religion?
The potential landlord can ask this question if they are biased towards or against people of a certain religion. However, the question is absolutely inappropriate and could amount to discrimination based on your religion.
Your landlord is making suspicious remarks
Sometimes, a potential landlord can make suspicious comments while discussing the tenancy subject with you. For instance, there is no problem with the landlord telling you that they do not have a vacant unit presently. However, if say this immediately after obtaining sensitive information from you (like your religion or sexual orientation), then this can raise suspicion of discrimination.
If a prospective landlord discriminates against you, it is in your best interest that you take action.


SDWAN Buyers Guide: What Orange County Business Need To Know
There is no doubt Software-Defined Wide Area Networking (SDWAN) has brought radical changes to the telecommunications and wide-area networking (WAN) landscapes. SDWAN enables organizations and businesses to connect several offices together while providing a more convenient way to prioritize the applications crucial to the business, so they get priority over the network. In today’s hybrid work environment, SDWAN technology has accelerated digital transformation for businesses by enabling them to move to agile cloud-based technologies such as Office 365 and a range of other SaaS applications such as Salesforce and Zoom. If you are shopping for an SDWAN vendor, this piece provides important questions to ask potential service providers to ensure you are getting value for your money.
Questions to Ask Your SDWAN Vendors
The following are some of the questions that the SDWAN vendors should answer:
What Types of SDWAN Services Do You Specialize In?
The first thing to determine is your business driver for SDWAN and whether the specific vendor you are reviewing has expertise in that niche. For example, if security is your top concern, consider picking SDWAN vendors with best-in-class security services. If application performance is your priority, opt for an SDWAN vendor with a proven track record in WAN optimization. Similarly, if you made a major acquisition that requires you to install SDWAN in multiple locations within a short time, opt for a managed service provider.
How Can You Make the Transition to SDWAN as Smooth and Painless as Possible?
An easy way to transition to SDWAN smoothly is by working with your incumbent MPLS service provider. Find out whether your existing network vendor can simply add SDWAN functionality to existing branch office gear with a software upgrade. If they don’t provide SDWAN functionality, find out whether they are willing to customize a fully managed SDWAN offering that meets your business needs.
What Pricing Options Are Ideal for My Needs and Budgets?
A DIY SDWAN implementation requires massive capital expenditure as well as licensing and maintenance costs. You may need to acquire several WAN connections for each site location which ultimately translates to added costs. The best way to save on costs is to opt for managed or co-managed options. A managed service offers a subscription model that creates predictable costs while providing agility to scale depending on the changing business conditions. The right vendor provides their own fully managed services on their networks that allow you to shift from CAPEX to OPEX as the need arises.
How Well Does the Product or Service Integrate with My Existing Infrastructure?
How the product or service integrates with your existing infrastructure is a crucial question to ask potential SDWAN vendors. Find out whether the vendor acquires SDWAN functionality through purchasing from another company and how each diverse piece integrates together. You should also determine whether a single management console controls all SDWAN functionality and the pricing implications. In a nutshell, find out whether the vendor offers an all-in-one purchase, or the firewall comes as an add-on. Additionally, you should find out how well does the SDWAN system integrate with your existing enterprise infrastructure. It is important that SDWAN mesh seamlessly with your entire networking infrastructure, security systems, application management system, and monitoring system. If the SDWAN offering has a cloud-based management platform, determine how well it integrates with your existing management systems.
What Type of Training Do You Provide?
Another crucial question to ask a potential SD-WAN vendor is the type of tutorials, training materials, configurations they provide. You should also determine whether the vendor is willing to help determine the appropriate bandwidth levels and system requirements. Determine also the product roadmap and frequency of software updates. Other questions to ask at this level include:
What are the ongoing licensing costs? What level of support can I expect? How much does that cost? Features to Consider When Buying SDWAN
The following are some key features to look out for when reviewing and comparing SDWAN feature sets:
Wide range of functionality: The right SDWAN should fully replace existing branch functionalities. It should provide a range of functionalities such as QoS, IPSec VPNs, dynamic routing, and NetFlow. Additionally, it should support protocols like BGP and OSPF, access control lists, event management, and more. High-speed bandwidth: The SDWAN should utilize high-speed bandwidth to provide transport independence across multiple channels such as MPLS, Internet, 3G/4G/LTE, and 5G. Path control: SDWAN should guarantee a level of multiple active paths to ensure bandwidth efficiency and resilience. The ideal system should control traffic depending on policies in response to changing network conditions. Encryption:The SDWAN should encrypt WAN traffic based on policy. It should feature automated key rotation that allows encryption keys to be swapped out regularly. Security:Since SDWAN connects the onsite office directly with the public internet, robust security should be provided at each branch office. Go for an integrated next-generation application-aware firewall that provides anti-malware, ant-virus, data loss prevention, segmentation, and more. Application optimization: The ideal SDWAN should optimize application performance as need be. The system should recognize all the applications in your portfolio and actively monitor application performance as traffic moves across the WAN and SaaS applications. Get Professional Help
SDWAN enables critical applications to live in multiple clouds, so employees can connect and collaborate from anywhere. For most companies, SDWAN is now a critical part of a larger digital transformation initiative to enhance business operations. Unfortunately, not all organizations have the skills or resources to implement SDWAN on their own. That is where managed service providers come in.
If you need a reliable vendor to implement SDWAN in your organization, contact Technijian. Technijian is a reliable and certified SDWAN service provider committed to helping implement SDWAN infrastructure across multiple offices at affordable rates. Our highly trained and experienced SDWAN certified technicians are committed to helping you improve results, increase your revenue and get the job done properly. Contact us today if you have further questions about our services, need any technological requirements, or for more information about SDWAN.


UPDATED: February 28, 2021
Following the Emergency Use Authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen COVID-19 vaccine, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has determined that pilots may receive the vaccine but will require recipients of this single-dose vaccine to wait 48 hours before flying as has been policy for the vaccines previously approved from Pfizer and Moderna.
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With the approval of the COVID-19 vaccinations from both Pfizer and Moderna, FAA recently published its policy with respect to FAA medical validity following the vaccine and has determined pilots must wait 48 hours after receiving the vaccine before exercising the privileges of their certificate.
“Holders of FAA-issued Airman Medical Certificates or Medical Clearances may receive the [Pfizer and Moderna] COVID-19 vaccine; however, a 48-hour no fly/no safety related duty interval must be observed after each dose.”
Because the vaccines require two doses for maximum effectiveness, this waiting period applies after each dose.
The FAA anticipates taking no additional measures to ensure safety after the initial window for side effects closes; however, medical professionals will continuously monitor the initial distribution and documented clinical results and will adjust these recommendations as needed.
The FAA will evaluate vaccines from other manufacturers as they receive FDA authorization in the coming weeks and months and will advise pilots of any waiting periods required for those vaccines.
FMI: FAA.gov.


In his short text, Eric Zimmerman attempted to break down the terminologies of game-story while reconstructing the two by introducing four new concepts – narrative, interactivity, play and game, that were essential to bridge a connection between narrative and interaction. He began with raising the issue that concerned people’s dissatisfaction with the current state of game-story. His aim was to provide a deeper understanding to the relationship between game and story while resolving the problem we face to integrate the two.
I particularly loved how he juxtaposed narrative to a game of chess. When he started to break the concept of chess down was when I realize how much of a story it is rather than a game just by itself. Chess consists of a beginning state (the setup), changes to that state (the gameplay), and a resulting insight (the outcome of the game). He then went on to further explain how chess is a stylized representation of war. Upon this realization, I noticed that all, if not, most games could be a conceptualization of a story.
I also loved how he managed to distinguish the four modes of interactivity as well as how he unconventionally described play as something that opposes the bounds created for a game. Play does not only act as a utilitarian function of the system but also as an expression of the system. He even mentioned how when we take part in a game, we are submitting our behavior to the restrictions of the game.
What struck me most was that he did not raise the debate of whether a game should be considered a narrative or not, but instead he questioned how a game by itself can be narrative and how it can be narrative systems in ways which other medias could not. This excerpt from his text broaden my perspective on what narrative and interactive are and how they correlate.


Background: Emerging evidence suggests that the in utero environment is not sterile as once presumed. Work in the mouse demonstrated transmission of commensal bacteria from mother to fetus during gestation, though it is unclear what modulates this process. We have previously shown in the nonhuman primate that, independent of obesity, a maternal high-fat diet during gestation and lactation persistently shapes the juvenile gut microbiome. We therefore sought to interrogate in a population-based human longitudinal cohort whether a maternal high-fat diet similarly alters the neonatal and infant gut microbiome in early life. Methods: A representative cohort was prospectively enrolled either in the early third trimester or intrapartum (n = 163), with a subset consented to longitudinal sampling through the postpartum interval (n = 81). Multiple body site samples, including stool and meconium, were collected from neonates at delivery and by 6 weeks of age. A rapid dietary questionnaire was administered to estimate intake of fat, added sugars, and fiber over the past month (National Health and Examination Survey). DNA was extracted from each infant meconium/stool sample (MoBio) and subjected to 16S rRNA gene sequencing and analysis. Results: On average, the maternal dietary intake of fat ranged from 14.0 to 55.2 %, with an average intake of 33.1 % (σ = 6.1 %). Mothers whose diets significantly differed from the mean (±1 standard deviation) were separated into two distinct groups, a control group (n = 13, μ = 24.4 %) and a high-fat group (n = 13, μ = 43.1 %). Principal coordinate analysis revealed that the microbiome of the neonatal stool at birth (meconium) clustered differently by virtue of maternal gestational diet (PERMANOVA p = 0.001). LEfSe feature selection identified several taxa that discriminated the groups, with a notable relative depletion of Bacteroides in the neonates exposed to a maternal high-fat gestational diet (Student's t-test, p < 0.05) that persisted to 6 weeks of age. Conclusions: Similar to the primate, independent of maternal body mass index, a maternal high-fat diet is associated with distinct changes in the neonatal gut microbiome at birth which persist through 4-6 weeks of age. Our findings underscore the importance of counseling pregnant mothers on macronutrient consumption during pregnancy and lactation. Keywords: High-fat diet; Maternal gestational diet; Microbiome; Neonatal microbiome development.


Abstract
Introduction: Cardiometabolic diseases (CMD) are a group of interrelated disorders such as metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular diseases (CVD). As the prevalence of these diseases increases globally, efficient new strategies are necessary to target CMD and modifiable risk factors. In the past decade, evidence has accumulated regarding the influence of gut microbiota (GM) on CMD, providing new targets for therapeutic interventions.Areas covered: This narrative review discusses the pathophysiologic link between CMD, GM, and potential microbiota-based targets against atherosclerosis and modifiable risk factors for atherosclerosis. Low-grade inflammation can be induced through GM and its derived metabolites. CMD are influenced by GM and microbiota-derived metabolites such as short-chain fatty acids (SCFA), secondary bile acids, trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO), and the composition of GM can modulate host metabolism. All of the above can lead to promising therapeutic targets.Expert opinion: Most data are derived from animal models or human association studies; therefore, more translational and interventional research in humans is necessary to validate these promising findings. Reproduced findings such as aberrant microbiota patterns or circulating biomarkers could be targeted depending on individual metabolic profiles, moving toward personalized medicine in CMD.


Too often, new drugs fail during development due to poor study design and inadequate knowledge about the performance of a new drug. A large part of these mistakes take place between Phase I and Phase II. That’s why TD2 created the Dynamic Trial, an adaptive approach that adds exploratory cohorts for faster insights earlier in the development process.
What’s the Dynamic Trial?
The DYNAMIC Trial features an add-as-you-go model, where expansion cohorts evolve as new data emerges. It appends exploratory cohorts to the Phase I trial to test various scenarios and clarify emerging questions about the drug’s actual performance. Small patient cohorts can be explored to define the best go-forward strategy.
What’s the Purpose?
The information gained in a Dynamic Trial study negates the need for exploratory Phase II trials, saving time and money. As a result, researchers can achieve in one trial what traditional models achieve in as many as four separate trials.
Is the Dynamic Trial for Me?
If you lack confidence in your drug’s registration pathway and need more verification points before advancing to a definitive or pivotal Phase II—or you’re considering several trial designs at once—you might want to consider this unique, adaptive trial design before moving straight to Phase II.
Is It FDA-Supported?
As a form of adaptive design, the Dynamic Trial model is not just supported by the FDA—it’s recommended. Just a few months ago, for example, the agency released a guidance document that aims to modernize trials with this adaptive approach which TD2 has been performing for a decade.


Aromatic Compounds Aromatic compounds are compounds that belong to a large class of unsaturated chemical compounds that are defined by the presence of one or more planar rings of atoms linked together by covalent bonds. The stability of aromatic compounds is referred to as the aromaticity of the compounds as a result of the delocalization of the shared electrons. The degree of aromaticity in different compounds might be different as it depends on the bonding arrangements of the atoms involved in the molecule. All aromatic compounds have a delocalized pi (π) cloud, which spreads uniformly on the atoms of the entire aromatic ring. The π cloud must contain (4n+ 2) π electrons as all aromatic compounds follow the Huckel’s ring where the n is an integer. The sharing of electrons between different atoms results in a resonance effect within the molecule. The resonance effect is responsible for the stability of the molecules. The structure of these compounds is often represented by resonance structures consisting of single and double bonds, but the actual structure has delocalized electrons shared between all the atoms in the molecule. Even though the term aromatic is used for these compounds, not all aromatic compounds have a sweet odor, and not all sweet-smelling compounds are aromatic. Aromatic hydrocarbons are the most important group of aromatic compounds. These are organic compounds that are composed of carbon and hydrogen atoms. The arrangement of carbon atoms in aromatic hydrocarbons is called a benzene ring, which is the simplest aromatic compound. Generally, aromatic compounds are nonpolar due to the delocalization of electrons between the atoms. The delocalized electrons result in an electron-rich aromatic ring which can then be attacked by electrophiles to share the electrons. Aromatic compounds are highly unsaturated compounds and are resistant to addition reactions. Most of these compounds are cyclic compounds with a ring and exist in a flat planar structure.
Aliphatic Compounds Aliphatic compounds are a group of hydrocarbons where the atoms are linked by single, double, or triple bonds to form nonaromatic structures. Aliphatic compounds are characterized by the presence of an open-chain structure that can be saturated or unsaturated. The most important group of aliphatic compounds includes aliphatic hydrocarbons composed of hydrogen and carbon atoms. These compounds can also contain other elements like oxygen, nitrogen, chlorine, and sulfur. Aliphatic hydrocarbons are of two types based on the number of bonds present between two carbon atoms. Saturated hydrocarbons are open-chain hydrocarbons with a single carbon-carbon bond. Unsaturated hydrocarbons, in turn, are open-chain hydrocarbons with double or triple bonds between the carbon atoms. Unsaturated hydrocarbons are termed alkenes (double bonds) or alkynes (triple bonds). Saturated hydrocarbons are often more reactive and less stable than unsaturated ones. Aliphatic compounds can, however, be cyclic, but they do not follow Huckel’s rule and do not demonstrate aromaticity. Similarly, aliphatic compounds usually do not demonstrate resonance like aromatic compounds due to the absence of cyclic aromatic ring structure. Most of the known aliphatic compounds are flammable due to high carbon content, which also allows the use of these compounds as fuels. The bonds in aliphatic compounds are weakly polar due to the small difference in electronegativities between carbon and hydrogen. Aliphatic compounds are involved in additional reactions due to the localization of electrons in particular atoms. The simplest aliphatic compound is methane (CH 4) which results in the formation of all other aliphatic compounds via polymerization or substitution. 15 Major Differences (Aromatic Compounds vs Aliphatic Compounds)
Characteristics Aromatic Compounds Aliphatic Compounds Definition Aromatic compounds are compounds that belong to a large class of unsaturated chemical compounds that are defined by the presence of one or more planar rings of atoms linked together by covalent bonds. Aliphatic compounds are a group of hydrocarbons where the atoms are linked by single, double, or triple bonds to form nonaromatic structures. Benzene ring A benzene ring is present in aromatic compounds. A benzene ring is absent in aliphatic compounds. Reactivity Aromatic compounds are less reactive. Aliphatic compounds are more reactive. Stability Aromatic compounds are more stable due to the presence of resonance. Aliphatic compounds are less stable due to the absence of such resonance. Delocalization of electrons Shared electrons between atoms in an aromatic compound are delocalized and remain equally shared among all atoms. Shared electrons between atoms in an aliphatic compound remain localized with distinct atoms and are not shared equally. Polarity Aromatic compounds are nonpolar. Aliphatic compounds are weakly polar in nature. Structure Aromatic compounds are always cyclic. Aliphatic compounds can be linear as well as cyclic. Resonance Aromatic compounds demonstrate resonance and, thus, can exist in a particular resonance structure. Aliphatic compounds do not demonstrate resonance. Saturation Aromatic compounds are always unsaturated as the compounds often have double or triple bonds. Aliphatic compounds can either be saturated or unsaturated, depending on the bonding of the compound. Conjugation Aromatic compounds are conjugated due to the presence of alternating double bonds. Most of the aliphatic compounds are not conjugated. Electrophilic Aromatic compounds are not electrophilic due to the electron-rich aromatic ring. Aliphatic compounds are electrophilic in nature. Physical properties Aromatic compounds often have a pleasant odor. Aliphatic compounds do not have such odor. Aromatic compounds are immiscible in water. Many aliphatic compounds are miscible in water. Carbon to hydrogen ratio Aromatic hydrocarbons have a low carbon to hydrogen ratio. Aliphatic compounds have a high carbon to hydrogen ratio. Sooty flames Aromatic compounds burn with sooty flames due to the higher carbon percentage. Aliphatic compounds burn with non-sooty flames due to a lower carbon percentage. Examples Examples of aromatic compounds include benzene, toluene, naphthalene, anthracene, etc. Examples of aliphatic compounds include propane, methane, ethanol, acetaldehyde, etc. Examples of aromatic compounds Benzene Benzene is the simplest aromatic hydrocarbon that was discovered by Faraday in 1823 but was first synthesized by Berthelot in 1870. It is a six-carbon compound with alternating double bonds between the carbon atoms. It exists in a ring structure, which can be represented by different resonance structures. The molecular formula of benzene is C 6H 6. Benzene has a cyclic, planar, and hexagonal structure where the resonance structure is the most convincing structure of benzene. Even though it is an unsaturated compound, it behaves like a saturated compound in that it doesn’t decolorize bromine solution and Baeyer’s reagent. This property of benzene is due to the delocalization of π electrons throughout the ring and the exchange of double bonds between the carbon atoms. Benzene and its derivatives have important industrial applications and can be synthesized or obtained from petroleum products in nature. Examples of aliphatic compounds Methane Methane is the simplest aliphatic hydrocarbon that exists in the atmosphere in the gaseous form and is a by-product of different human activities. It is a one-carbon compound where a carbon atom is bonded singly-bonded to four hydrogen atoms. The molecular formula of methane is CH 4. Methane is slightly soluble in water as it is weakly polar but is lighter than air with a specific gravity of 0.554. Methane is a highly flammable gas that burns with a pale, slightly luminous flame. It is a stable gas on its own, but it can be explosive when mixed with air at 5-14% by volume. Methane also has an important role as fossil fuel as it is produced as biogas for cooking purposes. It is a member of greenhouse gas and is known to be one of the prime gases involved in global warming. References and Sources National Center for Biotechnology Information. “PubChem Compound Summary for CID 297, Methane” PubChem, https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/Methane. Accessed 21 February, 2021. National Center for Biotechnology Information. “PubChem Compound Summary for CID 297, Benzene” PubChem, https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/Benzene. Accessed 21 February, 2021. Gautam AD, Pant M and Adhikari NR (2017). Comprehensive Chemistry Part 2. Heritage Publishers and Distributors. Kathmandu, Nepal. 2% – https://pediaa.com/difference-between-aromatic-and-aliphatic-compounds/ 1% – https://www.chegg.com/homework-help/questions-and-answers/q-organic-compounds-composed-carbon-hydrogen-oxygen-1-2-1-ratio-called-proteins-b-nucleoti-q10218997 1% – https://www.britannica.com/science/aromatic-compound 1% – https://www.britannica.com/science/aliphatic-compound 1% – https://vivadifferences.com/difference-between-aromatic-and-aliphatic-compounds/ 1% – https://pediaa.com/difference-between-aliphatic-and-aromatic-hydrocarbons/ 1% – https://naldc.nal.usda.gov/download/25899/PDF 1% – https://chem.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Organic_Chemistry/Map%3A_Organic_Chemistry_(Wade)/17%3A_Aromatic_Compounds/17.02%3A_The_Structure_and_Properties_of_Benzene <1% – https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/organic-chemistry <1% – https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/chemistry/aromatic-compound <1% – https://www.enotes.com/homework-help/what-are-some-examples-of-compounds-131353 <1% – https://www.differencebetween.com/difference-between-saturated-and-vs-unsaturated-hydrocarbons/ <1% – https://www.askiitians.com/forums/Organic-Chemistry/21/8564/aromatic-compounds.htm <1% – https://wikidiff.com/methane/alkane <1% – https://quizlet.com/40319154/chemistry-chapter-7-flash-cards/ <1% – https://quizlet.com/31398648/chemistry-ii-quarterfinal-flash-cards/ <1% – https://quizlet.com/312648257/chapter-17-benzene-and-aromatic-compounds-flash-cards/ <1% – https://quizlet.com/141970683/chemistry-exam-4-study-guide-flash-cards/ <1% – https://personal.utdallas.edu/~biewerm/14H-aromatic.pdf <1% – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aliphatic_compound <1% – https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-chemistry/chapter/reactions-and-applications-of-coordination-compounds/ <1% – https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20130804044117AAVffqh <1% – http://importanceofstuff.com/fossil-fuels


Energy efficiency is a factor that looms large over most things we do today. With entire nations and taxonomies revolvingRead more
HVAC encompasses climate control systems such as heating, ventilation, and air conditioning. The structure of a climate control system requiresRead more
We do live in the sea of air, did you ever notice that? Yes, we do. Air is a materialRead more
New heating and cooling systems units are designed to be highly energy-efficient. However, due to wear and tear, frequent useRead more


During the relocation process, a moving company will spend most of the time moving items around your home. Whether you have furniture or electronics, movers will pick up items and navigate them through your home.
A professional moving team will take some precautionary measures to protect your home during the moving process. While movers will come with the tools they need to prepare the home, there are tasks you can do ahead of the move. And if you're moving yourself, follow these tips to help protect your home from damage.
This blog will cover six ways a moving crew can protect your home during a move.
Protecting Your Lawn
When taking your items from your home to the moving truck, a mover will typically take the same path that allows them to load your items the quickest. If you have landscape items in the pathway, it would be best to make the moving provider aware of the items. For items like lawn ornaments or statues, you can remove these items from your yard. Lastly, you should lay down plywood or cardboard if it has rained because footsteps could damage the grass.
Protecting Your Floors
While walking in and out of your home, there's a chance that a moving company can track a large amount of dirt across your floor. Protect your home's carpeting with plastic wrap and minimize the number of times someone needs to walk on it. If you work with a professional moving company, they will have these concerns in mind and lay particle board to prevent damage from dollies or hand trucks.
Protecting Doorways & Stairwell Banisters
Items can often scratch the wood in doorways or stairwell banisters, leaving permanent marks that affect the home's appearance. A moving provider will add blankets to the wood area that are susceptible to scratches. For a dependable option, removing the doors off the hinges and placing them in a safe area removes the worries of them getting hit.
Protecting Window & Wall Decor
In narrow areas of the home, take down wall decor and curtains to keep them from getting in the way. Once the heavy lifting starts, these items are at risk of being hit off the walls and breaking.
Protecting Against Spills
Spilling liquids onto the floors can stain carpeting and make cleaning the home difficult. To avoid spills during the move, you should ensure that all liquids and powders in containers are properly sealed. If you have any unwanted liquid products, you can dispose of them to prevent spillage. Liquids that are considered hazardous materials cannot by moved by professional movers. If you have any questions about what can and cannot be moved, speak with your transportation coordinator.
Protecting Your Garage Floor
The last spot a moving provider will protect is the garage. If you have stored motor oil, chemicals, or other hazardous products-you will need to dispose of them. Moving companies cannot put many of the items found in a garage into their moving truck, so it's best to throw them away.
Work With a Trusted Moving Provider
If you want to ensure your property remains undamaged during a relocation, the best way is by working with an experienced moving company. Since 1924, our movers at Arnoff Moving & Storage have delivered reliable moving services for homeowners. We offer the following services:
Moving Services Logistics Solutions Storage & Warehousing Packing & Shipping
Contact us today to request a free estimate from our residential and long-distance movers. Call to speak with a specialist or fill out the online quote form.
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ABOUT IMC MEMBERSHIP IoT LIBRARY RFP PROGRAMME EVENTS Relay specification extends LoRaWan coverage October 13, 2022 Steve Rogerson
The LoRa Alliance has expanded the LoRaWan link-layer standard with the addition of a relay specification to improve coverage in deep indoor or underground areas.
The relay specification allows for battery-operated, easy-to-deploy network coverage extensions at a fraction of the cost of adding additional gateways. This also enables the relaying of data on nearby satellite-connected LoRaWan devices.
“LoRa Alliance members identified that end users in specific markets needed to achieve full network coverage due to environmental challenges surrounding their deployments,” said Donna Moore, CEO of the LoRa Alliance. “With relay, we’re providing a standard that allows for full end-to-end communications in extremely challenging underground, metal and concrete environments where sensor signals could use a boost or redirect to reach either the gateway or end device. The new relay feature is a direct response to market needs and provides an essential building block to enable massive IoT.”
One of the first markets to adopt relay is metering in the utilities sector. Utilities represents a massive opportunity for IoT, with VDC Research estimating that worldwide LPWAN communication services revenue will reach $2.47bn by 2025. Adding relay to the LoRaWan standard to achieve coverage for even the most difficult cases, such as meters inside metal closets, strengthens LoRaWan’s market position in metering and utilities, and more broadly across key verticals including smart cities and buildings, and industrial IoT.
Using relay is suitable for any application monitoring static assets in challenging environments.
The LoRaWan standard is proven for long-range communications, however there can be physical limits to where LPWAN communications can reach, such as around turns, underground, where a signal needs to be reflected or relayed into a specific location. LoRaWan relays allow signals to go where they physically couldn’t go before.
The TS011-1.0.0 LoRaWan relay specification describes the relaying mechanism used to transport LoRaWan frames bi-directionally between an end-device and gateway or network server via a battery-operated node. By enabling relay, the device can transfer LoRaWan frames between an end device and network when there is insufficient coverage from the gateway.
This specification enables network coverage extension through a battery-operated relay and maintains compatibility with the LoRaWan link-layer standard in terms of protocol and security. The new relay nodes are battery powered and can be installed anywhere and do not require electricity or internet connectivity. This makes them an easy-to-deploy, low-cost and low-power way to extend network coverage, without needing to add additional gateways. Relay end points allow LoRaWan to provide coverage of all devices with only a nominal cost of installation.


Featured Publications
Changing perspectives in marine nitrogen fixation
J.P. Zehr & D.G. Capone (2020) Science
As a component of many biomolecules, nitrogen is a crucial element for life, especially in nutrient-poor environs such as the open ocean. Atmospheric dinitrogen gas (N2) is abundant but must be fixed by reduction to ammonia, a process limited to certain organisms and environments. Zehr and Capone review changes in our understanding of what marine microorganisms are fixing N2, where they live, and what environmental features influence their activity. N2 fixation is more widely distributed than previously thought, and we still have much to learn about the physiology and regulation involved. We now have better estimates of global- and basin-scale inputs and outputs, but questions remain as to whether the oceanic N cycle is balanced. New tools are enabling better understanding of ocean N2 fixation despite disruptive consequences from human activities, including ocean acidification and warming.


Transparent asset tracking framework for supply chain management The COVID-19 pandemic has further exposed the fragility of the current supply chains and highlighted the need for improving the existing supply chain infrastructure through digital transformation.
A typical multi-party asset tracking application involves shippers, receivers and a freight-carrier network with multiple stakeholders (e.g., manufacturer, distributor, provider, carrier) that have mutual obligations to deliver assets in time.
Unfortunately, the traditional asset-tracking solutions have posed a multitude of concerns due to the lack of trustworthy and transparent information across the supply chain.
The COVID-19 pandemic has further exposed the fragility of the current supply chains and highlighted the need for improving the existing supply chain infrastructure through digital transformation. To tackle the industry-wide challenges for global supply chains, we describe a trusted and transparent asset tracking framework called AuthTrail. The proposed framework establishes a trusted data-sharing fabric for streamlining workflow and increasing supply chain visibility among all the stakeholders.
As shown in the figure, AuthTrail leverages a consortium blockchain to store and exchange all the information related to freight contracts, real-time locations, climatic conditions, transportation and handling of physical assets, thereby creating a single source of truth available to all stakeholders in the system and eliminating potential issues like late reconciliation, improper handling of assets, etc.
Moreover, secure edge devices ensure trustworthiness of the data collection for the status of the attached physical assets. In particular, trusted real-time IoT data will be fed into smart contracts, which specify the service-level agreements (SLAs) negotiated among stakeholders, for evaluation periodically and the penalty settlement will be triggered automatically in the event that an SLA is breached.
Finally, to create the chain of custody when assets are moving in the supply chain, AuthTrail requires the stakeholders to record standardized EPCIS events on the blockchain whenever the status of assets changes.
The framework has these six major steps:
A consortium blockchain is provisioned and an administrator sends invitations to stakeholders of the freight-carrier network for joining the system. Upon creating an account and logging in the system, each stakeholder generates a decentralized identifier (DID) and stores the corresponding DID document on the blockchain. Asset tracking stakeholders onboarding. All the freight contracts (e.g., broker carrier agreements, load tenders, rate conformations, bill of lading) are negotiated offline among stakeholders and the hashes of the digital versions of those freight contracts are committed to the blockchain for secure logging and auditing purposes. In particular, service-level agreements between stakeholders are written into smart contracts and deployed on the blockchain. Freight contracts negotiation and archiving. Once a secure edge device is powered on for the first time, it generates a private/public key pair within the secure hardware and registers the public key on the blockchain via a decentralized secure device onboarding process. The registered public key is then used to perform the on-chain sensor data verification by the smart contracts. Secure edge device onboarding. When an asset is being moved by the freight carrier network, the secure edge device captures its real-time status (e.g., location, temperature, humidity) and signs it using the private key. Based on the location of the asset, the signed asset status is then sent to a specific smart contract for the SLA validation. Real-time asset tracking. In the case that an SLA is breached, a special event is emitted on the blockchain by the smart contract. Once the event is captured by the corresponding stakeholders’ enterprise networks, the penalties will be automatically settled among stakeholders involved in the SLA. Automatic penalty settlement. The stakeholders send transactions to the blockchain when the asset is in their custody. Each transaction encapsulates a standardized EPCIS event describing what has happened to the asset. All the EPCIS events, which are recorded on the blockchain and shared among all the stakeholders, establish the chain of custody of the asset in the supply chain. Chain-of-custody creation.
The IIC technical brief “Trusted and Transparent Asset Tracking on the Edge describes how to build a trusted and transparent asset-tracking solution by combining three technical components: secure edge devices, consortium blockchain and standardized supply chain data formats. The resulting solution facilitates collaboration among supply chain stakeholders, improves supply chain efficiency and user experience, and achieves substantial cost savings.
– This originally appeared on the Industry IoT Consortium’s (IIC) website. The IIC is a CFE Media and Technology content partner. Edited by Morgan Green, associate editor, CFE Media and Techology, mgreen@cfemedia.com
Original content can be found at Industry IoT Consortium.


The Ontario Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect (OIS) is designed to collect information about the children and families who are investigated by child welfare services on a periodic basis, using a standardized set of definitions, from every jurisdiction in Ontario. There have been six cycles of the study, conducted in 1993, 1998, 2003, 2008, 2013 and 2018.
NOTE: These are findings that reflect the Ontario child welfare system. Please also note that publications related to the OIS are often only available in English.


Transformers-based language models have achieved impressive performance in biomedical question-answering (QA). Our previous work led to surmise that such models could leverage frequent literal question-answer pairs to get the correct answers, casting doubt on true intelligence and transferability. Therefore, we conducted experiments by masking the anchor concept in the question and context documents during the fine-tuning stage of BERT for a reading comprehension QA task on clinical notes. The perturbation involved randomly replacing 0%, 10%, 20%, 30%, and 100% of the concept occurrences into a dummy string. We found the 100% masking harshly penalized the overall accuracy by about 0.10 versus 0% masking. However, the accuracy improved about 0.01 to 0.02 at 20% masking - and the benefit was able to transfer when tested on a different corpus. We also found the masking preferably enhanced the accuracy for question-answer pairs of the top 20%-40% frequent in the train set. The results suggested that transformers-based QA systems may benefit from moderate masking during fine-tuning, likely by forcing the model to learn abstract context patterns rather than relying on specific surface terms or relations. The beneficial effect skewed toward a specific non-top frequency tier could reflect a more general phenomenon in machine learning where such enhancement techniques are most effective for cases that sit around the make-or-fail border.


Studies have shown that feedback can have positive effects on student learning. Assuming that teaching experience can influence the frequency and quality of feedback, we analyzed and compared pre-and in-service teachers' feedback practices with microteaching videos. In-service teachers provided significantly more feedback than pre-service teachers. In-service teachers provided more feedback at the process level and showed more variety in combining feedback levels than did the pre-service teachers. However, feedback about self-regulation hardly occurred in both groups and should be fostered through practice -based programs.


Abstract
Microplastics are present in marine habitats worldwide and may be ingested by low trophic organisms such as fish larvae, with uncertain physiological consequences. The present study aims at assessing the impact of polyethylene (PE 10-45 μM) microbeads ingestion in European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) larvae. Fish were fed an inert diet including 0, 10(4) and 10(5) fluorescent microbeads per gram from 7 until 43 days post-hatching (dph). Microbeads were detected in the gastrointestinal tract in all fish fed diet incorporating PE. Our data revealed an efficient elimination of PE beads from the gut since no fluorescent was observed in the larvae after 48 h depuration. While the mortality rate increased significantly with the amount of microbeads scored per larvae at 14 and 20 dph, only ingestion of the highest concentration slightly impacted mortality rates. Larval growth and inflammatory response through Interleukine-1-beta (IL-1β) gene expression were not found to be affected while cytochrome-P450-1A1 (cyp1a1) expression level was significantly positively correlated with the number of microbeads scored per larva at 20 dph. Overall, these results suggest that ingestion of PE microbeads had limited impact on sea bass larvae possibly due to their high potential of egestion.


In today’s digitally driven world, children are constantly subject to enhanced screen time on multiple devices.
From early childhood they are often exposed to digital content on smartphones and tabs; children today grow up with the constant presence of devices that deliver a consistent flow of information. It is indeed a high level of exposure that involves long screen times, whether it be watching a movie or playing a game.
A heightened level of screen time can be disturbing and distracting for the growing minds. It can impact the growth and acquisition of life skills and encourage loner behavior in children as well.
Experts predict that with the advance of digital services such as Metaverse which is a fully immersive digital experience brought through VR headsets, the negative impact on children can worsen. Given the fact that Metaverse provides virtual experiences that are more powerful and engaging than real-life situations, it may also create a false sense of existence.
The International Journal of Behavioural Nutrition and Physical Activity in a study undertaken into the impact of a high level of screen time on children, states that if children are exposed to screen time moderately, the impact would be less damaging. It also states that the quality of the content delivered digitally is vital in determining the effect on the children.
In a recent study, children who spend over 02 hours daily on screen time scored lower in language and tests that involved critical thinking. The study further stated that those who spent over 07 hours of screen time daily experienced a thinning of the brain’s cortex, the area of the brain related to critical thinking and reasoning.
Child behavior experts believe that screen time could inhibit certain aspects of the development process by limiting their focus of interest and their attention towards exploration and learning. When exposed to devices constantly, it is difficult to generate interest in non-electronic activities such as playing outdoors, engaging in creative pursuits, and engaging with other children in play.
It is also believed that over-exposure to screen time can limit a child’s capacity to engage in conversation and activities on a one-to-one basis with other children, reducing the child’s capacity to engage with others in person rather than on screen.
Reducing screen time is a key issue in ensuring that children do not get overexposed to digital content.
Parents can take the following steps to ensure a reduction in screen time:
Ensure that young children are not constantly engaged with a screen by limiting the time they spend with a screen.
Encourage children to participate in activities that are non-electronic such as playing, drawing, and board games.
Set aside device-free times for family engagement – dinner time, playtime, etc.
As a family, to develop activities such as reading books and sharing stories instead of interacting with devices.


Audiology in the Past The very beginning of the audiology profession had its roots in counseling. Until June of 1978, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) banned hearing aid dispensing. Therefore, most audiologists did not dispense hearing aids in the early years of our profession. Instead, they worked with veterans suffering otologic complaints alongside physicians, speech pathologists, psychologists, and other professionals. Hearing aids during the early years had relatively few adjustments that could be made, consisting of potentiometers that adjusted gain and output. Physical modifications were commonplace, such as adjusting tone hooks or venting to achieve the optimal sound quality. Beyond these basic adjustments, patients needed to be counseled on adjusting to their hearing aid settings. Expertise in counseling and communication strategies, the art of hearing aid dispensing, was a defining element of our great profession. Audiology in the Present Hearing aid technology has become infinitely smarter. Our current generation of audiologists have a standardized education that provides competency on the science of hearing aid dispensing. We have doctoral level professionals who are exiting our programs well versed in concepts such as real-ear coupler differences, directional microphones, and frequency transposition. But what about the art? Today, blending the science of hearing aid dispensing with the art of hearing aid dispensing is often what differentiates one practice from the next. Most educational programs have at least one class dedicated to patient counseling. The additional length of the doctoral education also affords more opportunities to observe other clinicians and to practice counseling skills. In other words, the educational foundation and clinical experience of audiologists allows for unique insights into how to maximize the benefits of amplification. Despite the exposure to these skills, the challenge of counseling is largely in learning how to adopt a style that resonates with your patients, covers the necessary material, and feels both natural and ethical to deliver. This content is an exclusive benefit for American Academy of Audiology members. If you're a member, log in and you'll get immediate access. Member Login If you're not yet a member, you'll be interested to know that joining not only gives you access to top-notch resources like this one, but also invitations to member-only events, inclusion in the member directory, participation in professional forums, and access to patient resources, tools, and continuing education. Join today!


Healthcare providers and hospitals are concerned about their patients, staff and visitors’ safety.
However, they also face relentless pressure to balance safety with cost management and visitor traffic, busy emergency room departments, privacy, patient satisfaction scores and so much more.
If a hospital or healthcare provider fails to do any of these things, it can lead to a bad reputation.
Building Security Services can develop evidence-based safety and security programs, and we can help you deal with your unique healthcare security challenges.
We have worked with numerous healthcare executives and facilities to provide them with outstanding security services.
It doesn’t matter if you’re a lone doctor of a medical office or a larger hospital; we can create a customized hospital security service.
We can do the following:
Patients, visitors and staff often feel secure knowing there is a uniformed security guard on hand.
However, we go even further, training our staff to handle circumstances that relate to the healthcare industry, including but not included to:
You need an expansive risk management approach if your facility is to reduce potential risks, ensure compliance and safety requirements are met and control the daily costs that come with the data, physical and personal assets.
We use a tailored integration system that includes technological solutions and systems and risk consulting to supplement the physical security programs.
They will ensure your unique needs are met with better reliability and efficiency.
We provide you with the best healthcare security services to meet whatever needs you have – be it controlling employee and visitor access or protecting pharmaceuticals or medical equipment.
With our solutions, you can feel secure knowing that your patients and providers (along with your hospital brand) will be safe and you can meet the mission of your business.


The Market Engagement & Strategy team within the NHS Test and Trace program was faced with a gap in its capability to provide intelligence and insights to its commercial teams, which needed this support to enable strategy building. Efficio bridged this gap and provided intelligent and actionable insights and information to the commercial teams across a variety of essential categories.
The challenge DHSC’s Market Engagement & Strategy team needed to quickly understand the market dynamics and identify new or existing suppliers across a range of different products and services, including lateral flow device (LFD) tests, private and antibody testing, and other retained categories, such as Consumables, Reagents & Equipment, Laboratory Capacity and New Testing Technology. Specifically, the team needed intelligence to: Understand market dynamics for a range of different products and services (such as LFD tests, private testing, and antibody testing) to inform governmental decision-making Identify new or existing suppliers that could provide products/services of interest (such as Consumables Reagents & Equipment, LFDs, and Genomic Sequencing) to inform sourcing decisions Understand foreign policy decisions in relation to COVID-19 The solution
The Test & Trace Programme’s Market Engagement & Strategy Team needed a specialist partner that could provide market intelligence to support mass testing. The service would provide data and analysis to the relevant categories, which would inform the strategic decisions that the category teams were required to make.
Efficio’s value proposition provided:
A procurement and supply chain specialist firm with experience providing the required services Access to the best market research resources A partnership with broader external expert networks A flexible on-demand model The approach Efficio rapidly established a flexible delivery model, placing a core insights consulting team with information support from a scalable research partner. Governance procedures were put in place jointly with the client to ensure a smooth transition of requirements and informational deliverables. Efficio developed a strong relationship with core commercial teams and deeply embedded the research consultant within the client team to understand and alleviate pain points. The relationship culminated with a thorough training session to enable the team to further develop its own intelligence function.


In less than a decade, Green Creative has firmly established itself within the world of high-performance LED lighting. Aiming to provide lighting solutions across a variety of industries, the company has greatly added to the sustainable lighting options on the market. Since 2010, they have been dedicated to developing and manufacturing LED lighting for various industries. In quality and adaptability, their fixtures suit retail and hospitality settings, as well as office and education settings. The success of their projects with retail giants such as Macy’s, and an icon in the hospitality industry, the Westin St. Francis, highlights the combined effectiveness and versatility of Green Creative’s fixtures.
The MR16 LED bulb series
As the central choice for their Macy’s project, Green Creative’s MR16 LED bulb series underscores their dedication to thoroughly functional lighting. The series aims to provide efficient halogen replacements across a range of wattages. All bulbs can fit a variety of commercial settings, as their high rated life and dimmable capabilities makes them adaptable for the long haul. However, for commercial settings demanding accurate color representation, the MR16 bulbs on the left are the best choice. As part of the CRISP LED series of MR16 bulbs, their CRI of 92 ensures excellent color rendering for retail settings. The MR16 bulbs on the right are similarly suited for commercial settings. Despite a slightly lower CRI of 82, these bulbs from the TITANIUM LED series effectively meet the demands of commercial settings.
The QWIKLINK series
Similarly innovating from existing fixtures, the QWIKLINK series provides an updated alternative to traditional strip lighting. Building from the consistency of strip lighting, the series enhances its performance through the QWIKLINK connection system. This innovative connection system allows seamless linking of various fixtures. In tandem with its occupancy sensing and dimming capabilities, the QWIKLINK series can adapt to the unique lighting needs of multiple settings. The range of available installation options – surface mount, pendant, suspended – highlight the flexibility of the series. With a CRI of 82 and 100,000 hour lifetime, installation of any QWIKLINK series fixture guarantees excellent, long-lasting lighting.


Impact of COVID-19 on the Global Vision Processing Unit Market
A vision processing unit refers to a microprocessor that uses artificial intelligence along with machine learning technologies to deliver high-resolution images and consumes less power. The electronics sector has been considerably disrupted due to the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic across the globe. The consumers’ changing inclinations and purchase behavior due to fluctuations in the global economy are likely to influence the vision processing units market over the projected timeframe. Governments worldwide have imposed lockdowns, which has affected most of the industrial players across the globe and forced people to stay within their homes, which, in turn, has reduced the physical interaction among people. Most companies have permitted employees to operate from their homes to ensure business continuity during the COVID-19 pandemic, which is expected to hamper the growth of the vision processing units market over the forecast timeframe. The restrictions imposed on manufacturing operations to comply with the social distancing norms are likely to hamper the growth of the electronics industry, which, in turn, is expected to limit the growth of the global vision processing units market.
Operations in the electronics sector have been interrupted due to the COVID-19 crisis. The shift in consumer preference towards essential products is likely to influence the vision processing units market over the projected timeframe. Furthermore, the COVID-19 outbreak has resulted in the sealing of international boundaries, which has even caused a severe decline in the global demand for vision processing units and related products. Government authorities worldwide have enforced restrictions on travel. Hence, the market is also expected to be affected due to the decrease in the sales of vision processing units in the electronics sector.
Additionally, the restrictions on public gatherings along with travel bans in several countries are expected to hinder the growth of the vision processing unit market over the projected period. The increased focus on social distancing and personal care is likely to affect the demand for non-essential products, including vision processing units during the coming months. The spread of the pandemic has not only caused the loss of human lives but has also triggered the chances of a global economic recession.
Impact Analysis


Members of the Pennsylvania congressional delegation are calling for any future stimulus package addressing the economic fallout from the coronavirus to address the growing food insecurity crisis in the state.
Sen. Bob Casey led a bipartisan group of representatives in a letter urging leadership in the Senate and the House to make these critical investments in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
The letter notes that SNAP plays an essential role in the battle against hunger for nearly 2 million people in Pennsylvania including seniors, children and individuals with disabilities.
“SNAP is one of the most vital social safety nets for Pennsylvanians and Americans across the country, and it must continue to play a critical role in reducing hunger and poverty throughout the COVID-19 health crisis,” they wrote in the letter.
The 10 representatives who signed onto the letter include Chrissy Houlahan and Madeleine Dean, Democratic congresswomen who represent parts of Berks County.
In order to address the ongoing food security during this crisis, the members of Congress call for the following provisions to be included in the next legislative package:
* Boost the maximum SNAP benefit by 15%.
* Increase the monthly minimum SNAP benefit from $16 to $30.
* Place a hold on rules that weaken SNAP eligibility and benefits.
* Provide additional options and investments to support delivery for SNAP participants.


Trendy flooring can make a home look stylish, especially if the colors and patterns match the furniture. Also, when selecting flooring, the material should be robust and long-lasting to derive maximum value for money. With retail flooring consumers focusing on these critical features, porcelain tiles are trending as they are durable and look aesthetically pleasing.


Are You A Leader? Know Your FIDUCIARY Responsibilities, Congratulations! You’re one of a rare breed, who is willing to take on the responsibilities of being a leader. You possess a true, can – do, positive attitude, have developed a first – rate, skill – set, have trained, learned, developed, gained valuable experience and expertise, attained reliable judgment, and are ready, able, and willing, to proceed with a high degree of developed wisdom! While these things certainly put you on the track to greatness, and differentiate you from the 99% or more, of others, who never get that far, you must also understand, that with leadership, comes responsibilities! One of these is responsible handling of finances, making wise, timely decisions, utilizing the right priorities, and evolving your group, efficiently and effectively, in the direction, it needs to go. Therefore, let’s attempt to review a leader’s FIDUCIARY responsibilities.
1. Financial; fiscal; figure: A true leader must be able to figure out and distinguish that often – fine line, between spending too much, spending too little, and effectively, wisely spending! Financial matters might not be the exciting, sexy part of being a leader, but without careful attention, an organization might be destroyed! How can one decide when there is waste? What is the difference between balancing a budget, and doing so wisely? Simply cutting expenses is not wise financial behavior. Rather, this must be done based on priorities, effectiveness, alternatives, etc.
2. Investigate issues: Avoid the tendency to over – react or panic. Similarly, avoid the band – aid approach, looking solely on present issues, rather than doing so, with perspective and foresight! It is incumbent upon a leader to fully investigate and understand issues, alternatives, goals, priorities, and options!
3. Data; dollars: Beware of anyone who insists on merely looking at metrics, because they may often be either incomplete or misleading. Learn how to interpret data, looking at raw data, rather than someone else’s interpretations. Can you save dollars, without sacrificing priorities, by doing things differently, and/ or more effectively?
4. Usual; unusual: A leader must know and be attuned to the usual methods and techniques, and take advantage of these, for the best interests of his organization. However, he must also be ready, willing and able, to proceed, with an open mind, and consider the unusual methods, too!
5. Clarity; creative; careful: Seek clarity, so you are certain you understand what you are looking for, and what the actual conditions may be! Don’t merely do the same – old, same – old, but be willing to be creative, and consider alternatives, as well. As you proceed, check every step along the way, and do so carefully and prudently!
6. Intentions; ideas: Delve deeply into what you seek to achieve. Are your intentions, both, honorable, as well as sensible? Are you an ideas – oriented leader?
7. Assets: True leaders understand, the organization’s assets are not their personal property, and thus must use the Prudent Man Rule, or handle financial assets, as a prudent man, would!
8. Reasonable; rational; relevant; rationale; responsible: Maintain your objectivity, and be certain you are behaving, in a reasonable, rational, and responsible manner! As you proceed, prioritize being relevant, and be willing to clearly articulate your reasons, and methods.
9. Yearly: Most organizations have a budget process. It is a yearly snapshot, which when used wisely, considers financial effectiveness. Review your approach, and the group’s financial health, on a regular basis!
These are just a few of a leader’s FIDUCIARY responsibilities. Begin with the one’s above, and seek to effectively, wisely, and relevantly, use the group’s funds, for its best interests, etc!


MEDICINE WORK & INTEGRATION
Psychedelic medicines are tools that can aid us in the process of making change, and they are a special part of my practice. They have helped me, and many others liberate and heal. They aren't necessary, but can be supportive.
Psychedelic journeys are not magic cures. It is important to correctly set expectations, so we don't misjudge the process or our place in it. We aren't in control of the process. We are in control of expectations, and integration.
Integration is the process of working with the insights the medicines give us, and practicing with them in real life. Though medicines can help us connect to ourselves and our vision more easily, the real challenge most often shows up during the Integration phase when we are tasked with following and trusting it. Integration - real world practice - is what stabilizes long-term change.
The medicine itself is not what heals you. You heal you, but for some of us, medicine can make that easier.
Would you like to explore medicine work? Click below for a complimentary consult where we can talk more about what might work for you.


Mining geologists are drilling deep into the earth
in search of valuable minerals. Gold is the most common mineral in the earth’s crust, but other valuable minerals include silver, copper, and zinc. Mining these minerals requires using sophisticated equipment and techniques to extract them from the earth’s surface. Mining geology is an essential subfield of Earth sciences. Geologists study how minerals form in the earth’s crust, find their distribution in the earth, and determine how much of these minerals are present where they are needed. Geologists also study how these minerals interact with each other and their environment. How Have Mining Techniques Changed Over the Years?
Mining has come a long way since the early days of the industry. Techniques that were once used only in deep mines are also commonplace in surface mines. Here are some of the major changes:
Miners use higher-powered machines to break apart rock formations and extract minerals. This can be done using drills, explosives, or both. The use of heavy machinery has helped miners extract more valuable minerals from the ground faster and at a lower cost than ever before. It’s also made it easier for them to access difficult-to-reach deposits. Advances in mining technology have also allowed miners to find new sources of minerals that weren’t previously exploitable. For example, they’ve been able to extract coal, oil, and other resources from shale rocks. As a result, the demand for minerals has surged. The world is now on track to run out of supplies of some metals within the next few decades. Role of Mining Geologists
Mining geologists are responsible for
finding and exploring valuable minerals deep underground. They use various methods, including drilling and surveying, to determine the location and depth of mineral deposits. Mining geologists also work with engineers to develop plans for extracting minerals from the ground. Mining Geologists Requirments
Before mining begins, geologists must first study the area and determine what minerals are available. They use various techniques to find these valuable resources, such as drilling deep into the earth to collect samples or using a magnetic field to detect different minerals. Once they know which minerals are present, miners can begin digging up the valuable materials. Mining is a dangerous job, and many geologists have lost their lives while working underground. However, due to the high demand for certain minerals, mining remains one of the most critical industries in the world.


This literature library is intended as a resource for students, researchers and practitioners interested in the impact of transportation emissions and air pollution on human health.
These interactive visualizations illustrate the impact of traffic related air pollution surrogates on the burden of incident childhood asthma in the contiguous United States in 2000 and 2010.
This interactive tool illustrates an approach to visualizing second-by-second traffic data and emissions using web based tools.


Presentation to follow.
Minutes:
The Commission considered a Bristol Workplace Programme project review, led by the Service Director Human Resources. The presentation detailed Bristol Workplace Programme (BWP) as a series of projects that set out to change ‘how we work’, whilst also delivering significant savings. There were three themes of work, Assets, Technology and People. The presentation slides reviewed the scope, delivery headlines, delivery challenges and programme transition.
Officers responded to the following questions and comments raised in the discussion that followed:
Business Case and Scope
a.
A Member raised a question regarding the ‘continued use of
Parkview’. As a member of Cabinet
under the previous administration, it was not clear that this had
been a decision reached by Cabinet and suggested that this change
in direction may have amounted to a key decision. The Service Director, Property advised that the
Council were tied in to the Parkview lease until 2020. The
Strategic Director, Resources advised that a revised business case
needed to be brought to cabinet to reflect the changes.
Action: Robert Orrett
Scope: significant changes to scope WITHIN the overall funding envelope
b. Officers confirmed that despite increases in programme scope, these had always been contained within the overall budget envelope. The Interim Strategic Director, Resources advised that some changes in scope would be expected in a capital programme of £72m.
Asset rationalisation assets in scope and annual savings
c. The thinking around neighbourhood touchdown locality offices were not specified in the business case, it had been expected the thinking would grow as the programme progressed.
d. Avonvale Road was an example of a Council Service demonstrating alternative use for a site earmarked for disposal. The Education Capital Programme had transferred a capital receipt to BWP and had found the budget to take on operating costs.
e. It was confirmed that the ‘annual savings’ referred to in the slide captured the total annual cost including rent.
f. Officers confirmed that the anticipated Romney House savings under Bristol Workplace programme had seen a shortfall due to contributing revenue savings having already been ringfenced to other services.
Delivery Review
g. A Member questioned whether there had been enough engagement with the workforce, to understand the specific needs or concerns of some teams in moving to a new location. Officers confirmed that the programme had engaged with teams through a discovery process and assumptions had been challenged to identify what needs were generic and where BWP needed to work with services to provide exceptions.
h. A Member asked whether there was sufficient support of staff disability needs, for example where individuals required voice activated software. Officers confirmed that identification of support need started with the discovery exercise and an occupational health assessment. Managers to provide ongoing monitoring and support to individuals based on occupational health reports and individual feedback. Officers confirmed that where individuals found the workspace challenging, BWP worked with individuals and their managers to find spaces that could work. Officers confirmed that the Disability equality group had identified some unforeseen consequences to the move but officers were continuing to engage to resolve outstanding concerns
i. Officers confirmed that a workforce survey provided a mixed picture where City Hall had received positive feedback from some staff whilst some others had felt it was not working for them.
j. A Member commented that there were still problems with noise at Temple Street. Officers confirmed that this was being addressed by the Corporate Health and Safety Manager.
Capital Receipts over business case period (note 3)
k. A member questioned why KPMG had not been kept on as a tenant of Temple Street as the rental income could have been of value to the Council. Officers confirmed that the space had been required for staff to move into, in line with the project plan.
l.
There was some discussion over the current status of disposals on
some properties. Action: Officers to
provide an update on the disposal of properties, identifying where
capital receipts had equalled or exceeded those outlined in the
business case for BWP.
Action: Officers
Risks to Delivery
m. There was a discussion over the implications of scope changes and business case changes and whether this had been impacted by changes in personnel. In response to members questions the Interim Strategic Director confirmed that there had been an impact in terms of good internal governance and procedures, which could be attributed in part, to the way project had evolved and suggested that a project business case should be revised as and when the scope changes. The project had however, been delivered within the original business case cost and this was a testament to the workforce managing scope changes to always bring the project back on budget. It was confirmed that project governance was under review within the constitutional cross party working group. In addition, the Council had commissioned an internal audit review in order to get an independent prospective. The interim finance director would specify the scope of the review before the end of December.
n. A member agreed that the business case had remained the same and with exception of the status of Park View, which was a significant change, delivery was as expected. The Cabinet had received 6 monthly Change Programme reports which were in the public domain to enable scrutiny of the issues. The member commented that there had been vast immeasurable, intangible benefits to the programme, resulting in an organisation that works very differently now. The ability for internal communications works significantly better than the way it used to work between 17 different buildings.
o. A member questioned whether outreach staff would have access to mobile technology in order to reduce the need for them to return to the office when out on site. Officers confirmed that mobile staff had not previously been within the scope of the project and some staff were still out of scope. It was understood that ongoing service redesign work would address some of the issues.
p. A member sought clarification about the impact of Fire Regulations for the building. Officers confirmed that the fire safety management of City Hall is dependent on monitoring occupancy at all times. Due to stairways being unequal in the building, Fire Officers are satisfied that the building can safely hold up to 1600 people, current numbers of staff are around 1200, and well within regulations.
q. A question was raised about the plans for Neighbourhood touchdowns. Officers confirmed that locations for these had never been nailed down and were now looking at possibilities for colocation of services across partner organisations which may attract government funding under the One Partnership Estate initiative.
r. Members asked whether consideration had been given to renting out the buildings that had been released for sale. Officers advised that this had been considered but most were small sites in non-central locations and not really marketable. AvonQuay had been the only site considered advantageous due to redevelopment type options available.
s. Questions were raised regarding the continuation of the Enterprise car scheme. Officers advised that the scheme was under review as part of a more general discussion about the Council’s transport fleet. Pool cars to be part of how transport demand was managed.
Supporting documents:


A positive model from an international brand, for supermarkets operating in Kosovo, to take similar actions in order to protect the environment. This can also serve as a model for civil society advocacy campaign.
The German supermarket Lidl has pledged to remove half a billion plastic fragments by the end of 2021, bringing a cumulative reduction of 1.5 billion, then removing another half a billion fragments by the end of 2022, resulting in a cumulative reduction in two billion.
Packaging items that have been removed to date include 24 million wrappers and plastic pieces from fresh fruits and vegetables; 25 million plastic caps from yogurt and other dairy products; 3.5 million pieces of plastic wrap from fresh flowers and 19 million plastic labels and bags from fruits and vegetables. Lidl in particular began offering reusable alternatives to fruit and vegetable bags as early as 2019.
“Problematic” plastics, including black plastic, expanded polyester and PVC, which have also been completely removed from the mainstream of food packaging.
In total, Lidl has reduced its plastic packaging production by 18.5%. It is trying to achieve a 20% reduction by early 2022 and claims it is on track to achieve this target. To ensure that paper alternatives are not causing unwanted negative impacts, the supermarket has pledged to use only fiber with natural content, from internationally certified responsible sources.
In addition to achieving plastic reduction, Lidl has also made progress in including the content of recycled plastic in packaging. This company has shown that it has achieved a commitment to ensure that 50% of its brand packaging is made using recycled content, initially set with a deadline until 2025.
The online platform www.environment-hub.org is supported by HumanRightivism, managed by the CDF Community Development Fund, through the Swedish Embassy in Pristina (SIDA).


On Friday evening, January 9, 1863, Abraham Lincoln held a private meeting at the White House with two key Republican senators –John P. Hale of New Hampshire and Orville H. Browning of Illinois—where he boasted proudly about the reaction of Missouri’s enslaved population to his recently issued Emancipation Proclamation. While pointing at a map of the western borderland area, featuring Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio, the president claimed that since the first public announcement of emancipation (September 22, 1862), “the negroes were stampeding in Missouri,” creating a backlash among Democrats in that region. Lincoln wanted to use this moment to press for a compensated abolition measure in Missouri, describing this Western slave state, according to the revealing but little-known entry in Browning’s diary, as “an empire of herself,” claiming it would be more than “enough” for the legacy of each of these three men, “if we make Missouri free.”[1] Lincoln’s use of the concept of the
slave stampede was surely no accident. He had personal experience with that term, because he had seen it bandied about in
Springfield newspapers about a dozen years earlier, when his neighbor, Jameson Jenkins, a free black drayman, was accused of orchestrating a “slave stampede” from Missouri during the early weeks of 1850. Modern scholarship on the Underground Railroad and emancipation has not done enough to emphasize the impact of this concept of the “slave stampede” on the mindset of politicians like Lincoln. Nor has there been quite enough attention to the importance of mass escapes within the overall process of seeking freedom in antebellum America.
[1] Diary entry, January 9, 1863 in Theodore Calvin Pease and James G. Randall, eds.,
The Diary of Orville Hickman Browning (2 vols., Springfield: Illinois State Historical Library, 1925), 1: 611-12.


Recently, several zoos have aimed to improve the welfare of captive animals by adopting certain feeding enrichments, particularly to address oral stereotypy in giraffes. Research has revealed that the utilization of certain feeding enrichments, such as browsing enrichment, is effective for preventing oral stereotypy. However, feeding of browsing enrichment may be difficult in winter, although its effect is not evident in this season based on previous studies. Therefore, the weight of tree feed foraged by the giraffes and their behavior, including oral stereotypy, was observed in all seasons of tree feeding. Three giraffes were observed in the Kyoto City Zoo. No significant change was observed in the weight of foraged tree feed throughout the seasons, with a similar weight of food intake observed in all seasons. Although all giraffes expressed oral stereotypy, the behavior increased significantly in winter. Furthermore, the oral stereotypy frequency was not significantly correlated with the weight of foraged tree feed, suggesting that some other factor strongly influenced the frequency, such as the climate differing from that of the giraffes’ original habitat. Therefore, further research is required to elucidate the factors that cause oral stereotypy.


Abstract
Bias mitigators can reduce algorithmic bias in machine learning models, but their effect on fairness is often not stable across different data splits. A popular approach to train more stable models is ensemble learning. We built an open-source library enabling the modular composition of 10~mitigators, 4~ensembles, and their corresponding hyperparameters. We empirically explored the space of combinations on 13 datasets and distilled the results into a guidance diagram for practitioners.


Abstract
Wearable computing technologies are advancing rapidly and enabling users to easily record daily activities for applications such as life-logging or health monitoring. Recognizing hand and object interactions in these videos will help broaden application domains, but recognizing such interactions automatically remains a difficult task. Activity recognition from the first-person point-of-view is difficult because the video includes constant motion, cluttered backgrounds, and sudden changes of scenery. Recognizing hand-related activities is particularly challenging due to the many temporal and spatial variations induced by hand interactions. We present a novel approach to recognize hand-object interactions by extracting both local motion features representing the subtle movements of the hands and global hand shape features to capture grasp types. We validate our approach on multiple egocentric action datasets and show that state-of-the-art performance can be achieved by considering both local motion and global appearance information.